Donald Trump's 'Renoir' raises questions

The painting can be seen hanging in the background between Trump and PenceCBS 60 Minutes

President Donald Trump views on “fake news” are well established. But his opinion on “fake art” is murkier. Tim O’Brien, a biographer of the reality-TV-star-turned-politician reveals that Trump owns a version of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s painting Two Sisters that he is insists is an original—even though the work famously hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. When O’Brien saw the work years ago on Trump’s private jet, he pointed this fact out to the future president, but Donald insisted the work was real. More recently, O’Brien noticed the work hanging in Trump Tower, in the background of a presidential interview on 60 Minutes. “I’m sure he’s still telling people who come into the apartment, ‘It’s an original, it’s an original,’” O’Brien says on Vanity Fair’s Inside the Hive podcast. “He believes his own lies in a way that lasts for decades. He’ll tell the same stories time and time again, regardless of whether or not facts are right in front of his face.” O’Brien argues that this personal foible could become a national dilemma as Trump’s war on the media and fake news gathers steam. “Its foundation is that he’s the final arbiter of what is true and what isn’t, and it’s one of the reasons that he’s so dangerous.”

The painting now hangs in Trump Tower, shown here in an interview with Melania TrumpFox News

How not to get stuck in a lift with David Hockney

Comments

Find out how The Art Newspaper’s content platforms can help you reach an informed, influential body of collectors, cultural and creative professionals. For more information, contact info@theartnewspaper.com.

Newsletter signup

Our daily newsletter contains a round-up of the stories published on our website, previews of exhibitions that are opening and more. On Fridays, we send our Editor’s picks of the top stories posted through the week. As a subscriber, you will also get live reports from leading art fairs and events, such as the Venice Biennale, plus special offers from The Art Newspaper.